Port Elizabeth – Police have visited the Eastern Cape residence of the owner of the bakkie shown in a picture of a woman sitting in a cage in the back of the vehicle.
The picture has been circulating on social media and has sparked outrage.
The Isuzu bakkie is registered in the name of Johan Erasmus, a field agent who buys and sells sheep and cattle.
Speaking to African News Agency in Cradock on Thursday, Erasmus's wife, Leta, said police were at their residence to take pictures of the cage.
Police spokesperson, Warrant Officer Louis Stone, confirmed that police had followed up on the matter and visited the Erasmus residence on Thursday morning. "At this stage a case has not been opened, I can confirm that police went there but at this stage it is a civil matter," said Stone.
In the interview Leta said that there was more to the picture than met the eye and explained that her husband was merely being a good Samaritan by giving a woman a lift earlier this week.
She said she wanted to clear the matter up because the family had been bombarded with calls from the media on Thursday morning.
"There were roadworks and he saw a lady standing and she begged him for a lift as it was very hot, he told her to sit in front but she was too scared and preferred to jump in at the back," she said.
When asked why the woman was seated in a cage, Leta responded that "there was no space" for the lady to sit elsewhere at the back of the bakkie.
She insisted that her husband offered a seat in front of the vehicle to the "elderly woman" who is "unknown to them".
Leta said her husband used the "los hok (loose cage)" to transport sheep for weighing.
Johan Erasmus was unavailable for comment at the time of the interview.
Spokesperson for the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), Gushwell Brooks, said that the matter had been referred to legal services.
"At this stage I cannot comment, I became aware of it this morning and referred it to our legal services unit so at this stage we are waiting for feedback," said Brooks.